In a slide presentation for the public and the Marlboro School Board, Superintendent Michael Rydell touched upon funding the district received through the American Rescue Plan [ARP] and how it will be used.

Rydell highlighted the monetary amounts the district received during the two year span of covid: $239,525 in Elementary & Secondary School Emergency Relief funds [ESSER I]; $40,595 through the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief fund [GEER]; $1,647,882 in ESSER II; $160,059 in GEER II and $2,789,449 in ESSER III for a total of $4,877,510.

Rydell said the funds were used to purchase Smart Boards, Desktop Barriers, Chromebooks, Desktop and MAC Computers, Masks and PPE, Classroom Furniture, Salaries, Wellness Checks and for Assemblies. The funding also provided for MES Swimming transportation, MES & MMS Recess Equipment, Building & Grounds Equipment, Vape Detectors, Walkie talkies, musical instruments and repairs, graphing calculators and upgrades to the high school Planetarium.

Rydell said the Physical Education teachers are fully implementing a Lu Interactive Playground at the MES campus and construction work in Room 209 at the high school continues; it was originally earmarked in the Capital Project but presently some ARP funds are being used to complete it.

Rydell said a number of educational programs and initiatives will continue: interventions, enrichment, alternative learning experiences, college and career preparation activities and events. He said these are, “coupled with materials and programs that we’re purchasing as well as consultant work that we have in our district.”

Rydell said the Multi-Tiered System of Support [MTSS] will continue throughout this school year to help students in need to keep up with the educational pace of their school work. It is being funded through ARP.

Rydell concluded his presentation by highlighting details of the district’s zSpace Virtual Reality 3D Learning Technology program, pointing out that these are different from Chromebooks.

The district is purchasing two carts, each with twelve 3-D machines for a one-time fee of $140,000. The fee includes set-up, training of teachers and administrators on how to use the new technology and a 3 year licensing fee that goes along with the software. After 3 years the district will only pay a modest license fee. Rydell said the district is also looking to use some federal funding for this expenditure.

Rydell said students do not have to wear 3-D glasses because there is a small device that projects the virtual image and a stylus that can move it around. The student may want to look at a beating heart, which is floating in the air in front of them, and they can remove different pieces of it with a stylus to look at it in more detail. He said there are numerous other fields that students will be able to access; Engineering, Construction, Music and Art, to name a few.

“Basically you name the topic, when it has to do with something that you could learn hands-on, and that’s what this [machine] can do,” he said. “This is really for bringing learning in a three-dimensional manner to life. The students will love it and we’re really excited about the possibilities of this [technology]. We’re hoping that zSpace is something that can really engage our learners district-wide,” he said. “If you could just imagine when you were a child and could have something floating in front of you that you were manipulating; it just takes learning to a whole new level.”